spend time

Jiang Shaohua sighed: "This princess cannot return to Nanyang. She must mourn for her father to feel at ease."

Anyway, I have to observe mourning for Emperor Taihe, so it is very convenient now.

Jiang Shaohua did not dwell on the pain of losing his father, and quickly cheered up: "Pass on this princess's oral order, and ask Chen Changshi and Changning Bo to come to the palace immediately."

Chen Changshi temporarily lived in the Nanyang Palace, and he got up early every day to go to the palace to work, so he was in the palace at this time. Cui Du, on the other hand, went to the imperial manor two days ago, and it took him most of the day to deliver the message.

Song Yuan bowed and accepted the order, then quickly retreated.

Chen Jinyu glanced at Jiang Shaohua worriedly and whispered, "The princess is pregnant, so she must not be too sad, lest she get a miscarriage and hurt her body."

Everyone in Nanyang Palace knew that Jiang Shaohua and Lu Xuan had a cold relationship, but they were father and daughter after all. Lu Xuan died suddenly of an acute illness, and the princess must have been very sad.

There are some secrets that cannot be told even to Chen Jinyu.

Jiang Shaohua said softly: "You step back first, I want to be alone for a while. If the Empress Dowager or the Queen Mother sends someone over, you block them for me."

Chen Jinyu nodded and retreated with a heart full of worry.

Jiang Shaohua was the only one left in the dormitory.

Jiang Shaohua no longer had to endure or pretend. She raised the corners of her mouth and laughed silently and happily.

Half an hour later, Chen Changshi entered the dormitory.

No one knows what the king and his minister talked about in private.

……

Lu Xuan's death letter was indeed unexpected, but it did not cause much waves.

Are there not enough people who died in the palace? From Emperor Taihe, to the Prince of Gaoliang, to the grandson of Li Shangshu, to the innocent civil officials and generals who died tragically, to the traitor Gao Shan and Wei Xiong who were executed, etc. Which one of them was not in a high position and had great power? The death of a son-in-law of the Nanyang Palace due to an acute illness would not cause a shock inside and outside the palace.

If Lu Xuan was not Jiang Shaohua's father, this news would not even be worth mentioning.

After Empress Dowager Zheng knew about this, she said to Eunuch Zhao, "Prince Lu is really unlucky. Although he is a son-in-law, he is Shaohua's biological father after all. When Shaohua ascended the throne and became the empress, he had to be given the title of Duke. Now that he is dead, everything is gone."

Eunuch Zhao felt a little sympathetic, and sighed, "I went to the Nanyang Palace and met and dealt with Lu Junma several times. I never expected that Lu Junma would be so unlucky and short-lived."

Empress Dowager Zheng had some guesses in her mind but did not say them out loud.

Lu Xuan's death was such a coincidence. This "coincidence" was familiar to the Queen Mother Zheng. More than 20 years ago, the eldest prince who was born out of wedlock just happened to die accidentally, and the third prince also happened to fall ill, with a high fever that damaged his brain...

"This is his fate." Empress Dowager Zheng said calmly, "Please go to the Zhaohe Palace on my behalf to comfort Shaohua and let her mourn."

Eunuch Zhao respectfully accepted the order and left. He soon returned to report: "The princess is sad and does not want to see anyone. I asked Chen Sheren to pass on the message."

Empress Dowager Zheng nodded in agreement, and the matter was over.

After hearing the news, Empress Dowager Li, like Empress Dowager Zheng, sent someone to the Showa Hall.

The one who reacted the most to this incident was Concubine Fan Gui. Concubine Fan Gui's pretty face was pale, and she hurried to Jingyang Palace to ask for an audience with Empress Dowager Zheng. When Empress Dowager Zheng saw that she looked wrong, she frowned and waved her hand.

Eunuch Zhao immediately ordered the eunuchs and palace servants to leave. As for Eunuch Zhao himself, he retreated to a corner on his own accord, with his head down, but his ears were perked up, listening to all of Concubine Fan Gui's complaints.

"… Jiang Shaohua seized the throne, and then the Nanyang Palace received the news that Lu Junma had died of an acute illness. Your Majesty, think about it, there is no such coincidence in the world."

"So what do you think?" There was a cold and unhappy tone in Empress Dowager Zheng's voice.

Concubine Fan Gui didn't hear it. She was terrified, her body trembling, and her voice trembling as she opened her mouth: "She must have secretly instructed someone in Nanyang Palace to murder Lu Junma!"

"A woman so cruel that she could kill her own father will surely bring chaos to the world once she sits on the throne. Your Majesty, there are still two days before the coronation ceremony. It is still not too late to stop her. Please send someone to capture Jiang Shaohua immediately..."

"Just shut up!"

Empress Dowager Zheng stood up suddenly, pointed at Concubine Fan Gui and cursed: "You are a woman in the deep palace, you have never left the palace, let alone been to the Nanyang Palace, and you have never seen Lu Junma and the officials of the Nanyang Palace. You just want to throw the notoriety of patricide on Shaohua based on your own wild imagination."

"Don't mention Shaohua. I won't tolerate your nonsense!"

"Come here, shut her mouth and send her back to the palace. Tell her that Fan is suffering from hysteria. Send the imperial physician to diagnose her and prescribe medicine. She can come out to see people only when her hysteria is cured."

At the command, two strong palace servants appeared from nowhere. One of them blocked Concubine Fan Gui's mouth with a handkerchief, and the other twisted Concubine Fan Gui's arm.

Concubine Fan kept whining but couldn't utter a single word. She was "sent" back to her bedroom in such a disgraceful manner.

The bedroom was locked. From today on, Concubine Fan Gui was not allowed to leave the bedroom, and even the palace servants who served Concubine Fan Gui were locked inside the palace gate.

……

Empress Dowager Zheng did not issue a gag order, and the news that Concubine Fan Gui had "hysteria" quickly reached Jiang Shaohua's ears.

This was an intentional show of goodwill by the Empress Dowager Zheng. Jiang Shaohua knew what was going on, and that night he "restrained his grief" and went to the Jingyang Palace to thank the Empress Dowager for her kindness.

Empress Dowager Zheng acted like a loving elder and said in a gentle voice, "Ms. Fan is foolish and speaks nonsense, you don't have to take it to heart. I know that you are the most filial and considerate. You are the one who is most saddened by the sudden death of Lu Junma due to an acute illness."

"You must take care of yourself for Daliang, and also for the baby in your belly."

Jiang Shaohua was full of gratitude and said, "Grandma loves me the most."

The Queen Mother Zheng said, "You haven't had dinner yet! I'll have someone bring the meal." She also sent someone to call Prince Ping over.

King Ping lived in Jingyang Palace for half a month. He was not used to it at first, but now he has adapted to it. He does not need to study or practice martial arts. He just runs around, eats, drinks and plays every day.

He also didn't know that his own mother was under house arrest for her desire to "regain" the throne for him. These things were not heard by him at all. Even if he occasionally heard a few words, he couldn't understand them.

King Ping sat down happily, reached out to grab his favorite ribs, and chewed them until his mouth was full of grease.

Jiang Shaohua picked up the handkerchief and wiped the corners of King Ping's mouth, while also wiping his hands clean. (End of this chapter)